The invention relates generally to contactors, and more particularly, to porous membrane contactors configured for use in a dehumidification system.
Membrane contactors allow a gaseous phase and a liquid phase, to exchange mass and heat between the phases, without dispersing one phase into the other. A common use for a membrane contactor is the removal or dissolution of gases in a liquid. Examples of conventional contactors include packed towers, flat panel membrane contactors, and tubular contactors. In conventional systems, membrane contactors are operated with an aqueous fluid flow adjacent one side of the hydrophobic membrane, and a gas applied to the other side of the membrane. Because the membrane is hydrophobic, the membrane will not allow liquid water to pass through the pores into the gas side of the membrane. By adjusting the vapor pressure of the gas in contact with the membrane, gases, such as water vapor for example, can be selectively removed or dissolved into the liquid.
The effectiveness of the dehumidification system is dependent on the efficiency of the membrane contactor. Conventional contactors have several deficiencies. For example, condensation may form on the gas side of the membrane. To improve porous membrane contactors performance in dehumidification applications, several enhancments of the membrane contactor are required. Exemplary enhancements include reducing the required membrane surface area by optimizing the mass and heat transfer driving potential distribution throughout the contactor and reducing the amount of condensate collected on the membrane, which may hinder the mass and heat transfer performance of the contactor.